


MAKO'S MERMAN

by MorphoFan



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Junkfish AU, M/M, Roadrat Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 00:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9852854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorphoFan/pseuds/MorphoFan
Summary: For day 3 of Roadrat Week. This is the day for favorite AU. My favorite is Merman Junkrat.Mako's day at the beach takes a surreal turn when he encounters a merman.





	

Day 3 (21st)- Favorite Au

MAKO'S MERMAN

As Mako Rutledge sat on the beach that morning, enjoying the sunrise, he thought he saw a dolphin floundering in the shallow water a few yards offshore.

He got to his feet on the deserted beach and shielded his eyes against the bright early morning light, watching for the creature to reappear.

A tail flopped out of the water, slapping at the surface. But it wasn't the typical tail-slapping of a happy dolphin. There was something... distressed... in the movement. And as Mako looked closer, he saw what looked like a tattered section of netting tangled around the green and orange tail.

He got to his feet and strode into the surf. He was a strong swimmer, and the imperiled animal was not far off shore. He waded out, deeper and deeper, the water rising to his chest level. 

Finally, he reached the creature, who was now just floating, exhausted, giving a faint beat of the tail every other second. Sure enough, it was a discarded fishing net impeding the poor beast's movement. 

Ruteledge grabbed the netting and pulled at it, but it was wrapped tightly around the scaly flesh, cutting into it in places, leaving raw, pink welts.

Muttering a curse, he glanced back over his shoulder, to his pack where it lay up on the sand. His knife was in there, but would being dragged up onto the sand cause more harm than good to the poor sea creature?

Making a decision, he pulled the netting over his shoulder and began towing the animal toward shore. The creature seemed to attempt to escape at first, but then relaxed, as if sensing that Mako's intentions were benign.

He reached the shallow water, and turned to get a better look at the aquatic beast... and gasped.

What he had taken for a dolphin or dugong was a young man... with a tail!

A merman....

His shock only paralyzed him for a moment, and then the creature flopped again, and Mako was jolted back into action. 

He grabbed the merman under the arms and carefully dragged him up onto the shore. The mystical being looked to be about 25 in human years, with a glittering, shimmering, jade-green tail that started a few inches below his navel. He had enormous, amber eyes, light blond hair, and a spattering of freckles over his perfect skin.

The creature just lay there on the sand, breathing hard. He didn't seem to be in any respiratory distress, so Mako decided he must have lungs as well as gills. The heavy breathing seemed to be due to exhaustion more than anything.

He quickly ran to his satchel and retrieved his knife, then came and knelt beside the merman. The amber eyes widened at the sight of the blade in Mako's hand, and the slim body tensed, as if preparing to flee. Clearly the creature had seen a knife before, and under unpleasant circumstances.

"It's OK," Ruteledge murmured, gently petting the glossy tail, "Don't be scared."

The owllike eyes watched him intently, but the rigid, lithe little body relaxed noticeably, and Mako set to work cutting the net away. 

"Do you speak?" he asked as he worked. 

The smooth, freckled brow furrowed, the bushy blond eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Speak?" Mako reiterated, pointing to his mouth, and then his throat, "Ssssspeeeeeak."

"Sss."

The large man gave a small chuckle, which made the boy's face blossom into a smile.

"Sss... ssspeee!" the merman repeated, in a raspy, screeching tone, "Ssssssspeee KUH."

"Good job!" Mako said with a wide smile, reaching to ruffle the blond hair. His praise was met with pleased-sounding snuffling, and the merman leaned into the tousling.

"Do you have a name?" Mako asked.

The blond head cocked to the side, then the other way. 

"Name?" Mako reiterated.

"Ssspeeee KUH."

"One-Hit Wonder, eh?" the massive man said with a grin and a nod, "Well, I'm Mako."

He pointed to his own chest, exaggerating the pronunciation as he repeated his name.

"MMMaaako," he said.

"Ko," the merman replied.

"MAko."

"...Ko!"

"All right, fine," Ruteledge finally relented, shaking his head, "I can live with that... 'Ko', it is."

"Ko... Ko... Ko Ko Ko...."

"Well done, you've got it," Mako said, chuckling.

After a few minutes, he'd nearly finished his task, when suddenly one of the creature's slender hands laid over his own. The big man looked up and found himself the recipient of a beautiful smile and adoring eyes.

The merman's hand petted his, a bit mechanically, in imitation of how Mako had pet his tail earlier.

"You're welcome," the behemoth said, with a kind smile of his own. He cut away the last bits of netting and crumpled it into a ball, throwing it far up onto the sand, intending to put it into the trash later.

The open sores caused by the net slicing into the merman's flesh caught Ruteledge's eye, and he pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. Salt water was an excellent disinfectant in itself, but maybe he, too, could do something to help prevent infection.

He looked up to find the merman mimicking his pursed lips, and he burst out laughing.

"Be right back," he chuckled, getting to his feet. 

The golden eyes suddenly looked troubled, and the merman rolled onto his belly to watch Mako walk away.

"Ko!" came the anxious rasp.

"It's OK, I'm not going far," the large man said reassuringly, as he retrieved his pack and brought it back with him.

He reached into the pack and pulled out a tall, green, glass bottle. His meager stash of whiskey. He wasn't a heavy drinker, anyway, and he'd been carrying the bottle around with him for months. Hopefully it still contained enough alcohol to clean up the wounds on the merman's tail.

"Hold still," he said softly, "This is going to hurt a little."

He poured out some of the whiskey onto the worst of the lacerations, and the merman tensed, hissing in pain, his golden eyes narrowing accusingly at Mako.

"KO!" he scolded.

"Sorry, mate," Ruteledge said with a wince, "I know, it's not pleasant. Nearly done."

He splashed the liquor over the other two worst of the injuries, and then recapped the bottle. He studied it, shaking his head at the low level of spirits that remained.

"So much for the Jameson," he muttered.

"Jame… SON."

Ruteledge blinked in surprise at the hesitant voice.

"Jame... SON," the merman said again, more clearly, and with greater confidence.

"You like the name Jameson?" Mako said with a smile, "Honestly, it suits you. Or maybe 'Jamie,' for short?"

"Ja...mie?"

"Ko," Mako said, pointing to his own chest, and then pointed at the merman's chest with the same hand, "Jamie."

The merman, now officially named 'Jamie,' gave him a big smile and flopped his tail against the sand.

Then all at once, Jamie's demeanor changed. He sat up, his eyes wide and searching, nostrils twitching. The orange, fin-like flaps that seemed to serve as his ears were standing out rigidly, quivering. He looked up the beach toward the access path by which Mako had arrived. Every sense of the pretty creature seemed on the alert.

"What's the matter?" Mako asked, looking in the same direction, trying to see what had so unnerved the merman. He couldn’t detect any hint of danger, and he looked back down at Jamie, perplexed.

"Nervous little thing, aren't you?" he said, "There's nothing there."

Jamie suddenly rolled onto his belly and began laboriously dragging himself toward the sea. 

It was only then that Mako noticed that the creature was missing a hand. His right arm had been removed above the elbow, leaving a well-healed stump. Whatever horrific injury had caused the damage must have happened some time ago.

The merman grunted, obviously not accustomed to his body weight out of the water. Sand was working itself into the fresh lacerations caused by the netting, and Mako winced.

"Hang on a minute," the man-mountain said, coming to kneel beside the creature.

He slipped his hands under Jamie's body and scooped him easily up into his arms. As he stood, the merman snuggled against his chest, nestling in close and pressing his head up under Mako's chin with a happy little trilling sound, almost like a purring cat.

"Oookay, now," Ruteledge said, apprehensively, "What do you think you're up to?"

He looked down sternly at the merman, who looked innocently back up at him with big, blinking eyes and an impish smile. The purring sound increased in volume, and the little creature's left hand came up to caress Mako's jaw.

It was the first time the huge man had been touched with anything close to kindness in a long, long time, and he automatically closed his eyes. Jamie's wet face was pressed into the crook of his neck, and he could feel the warm, moist little breaths against his skin.

"FUCK ME, IT'S A MERMAN!"

The sudden shout made both Mako and the little merman jump, and the big man turned to see a half-dozen dirty, raggedly-dressed men lunging clumsily through the loose sand toward them.

"Shit!" Ruteledge muttered, turning and charging toward the surf. He had to get Jamie safely into the sea before those Junker beasts got their hands on him.

He knew exactly who they were... a rape gang, loathed and feared throughout the entire area. They would rape anything they could stick a dick into, and if it couldn't be raped, they found other uses for it.

If they got their filthy claws on Jamie... best case scenario, the beautiful merman would become a living status symbol in the aquarium of whatever rich sicko was able to pay the highest price. 

Worst-case scenario... Jamie would become rape fodder, and then when his beauty and novelty had been worn away, he would probably be fileted and cooked over a fire.

But that wasn't going to happen.

Mako reached the water and plowed into the low waves, lifting his tree-trunk-like legs high to cover as much distance as he could. He could hear the excited shouts of the gang, their demands for him to stop, but he pressed on.

Suddenly, a shot rang out, and Ruteledge gave a grunt of pain as the bullet grazed his shoulder. He staggered a bit, before regaining his footing, blood streaming from the wound.

"Ko?" Jamie exclaimed in alarm, trying to pull himself around in Mako's arms to get a better look at the injury, "KO?!"

"It's all right," Mako said reassuringly, "I'm fine."

"STOP SHOOTING, YOU STUPID BUGGER, YOU'LL HIT THE MONSTER!" one of the gang members bellowed.

"Monster," Mako grumbled, shaking his head at the irony of a habitual rapist calling the sweet, innocent creature in his arms a monster.

When he was chest-deep in the water, he stumbled over a rock, and Jamie fell from his arms into the foam. He felt a swirl of water against his body as the merman's powerful tail was put to use, and got one last glimpse of sparkling, emerald scales as the creature disappeared, swimming out to sea.

He got back on his feet, breathing hard, his heart torn by a mixture of relief and loss. He was relieved that he'd delivered Jamie from the hands of the rape gang. But at the same time, he already missed him, and knew he'd likely never see the merman again. 

They hadn’t been allowed a proper goodbye.

He turned to head back toward shore, and froze. The six gang rapists were lined up at the water's edge, waiting for him, one of them armed with a rifle, pointed directly at him.

Resigned, Mako raised his hands and marched dutifully toward them.

"You just lost us a LOT of money, Uluru," the presumed leader of the gang snarled at the massive Mako.

"Good," Rutledge replied with a sneer. He was rewarded with a right hook to the jaw which barely phased him, and he looked down at the fist's owner with a lopsided grin.

"That all you got?" he growled.

"On your knees!" the man ordered, motioning to his gunman.

Mako turned back toward the sea, and sank to his knees. If he had to die, he wanted his last visual to be that of the ocean he loved.

"Be safe, Jamie," he breathed, and closed his eyes as the gun was cocked. He heard the sound of something whistling through the air, and a moment later, heard a meaty thud behind him.

"OW! MotherFUCKER!" the gunman suddenly yelped.

Ruteledge opened his eyes, just in time to see a large, gnarled old seashell come flying at his head. 

He ducked, and the shell struck the gang leader right in the goannas. The evil man doubled over and collapsed, face-first into the sand, landing next to his dazed gunman, bleeding from where he'd also been struck, apparently.

A familiar blond head and shoulders appeared above the surface of the ocean, barely ten feet from the shore. Jamie's wiry left arm drew back, and yet another large shell came screaming through the air at Mako's attackers.

He ducked, and had to smile in admiration as a third gang member was felled by Jamie's killer arm. If he weren't a merman, the creature would have had a promising career in professional baseball....

He got to his feet and reached for the fallen rifle, only to find the muzzle clogged with sand. He tossed it aside, just in time for one of the rapists to leap onto his back and lock his arms around Mako's thick neck.

Ruteledge struggled, his air mostly cut off by the smaller, but surprisingly-strong man on his back. He grabbed back over his shoulders with both hands, but couldn't manage to get a grip on the man. His head began to swim, and he dropped to his knees.

"Ko...! Ko...! KO!"

The raspy, panicked-sounding screech jolted his brain, and his eyes flew open.

Jamie had ventured too close to shore, probably out of concern for Mako's situation, and the last two outlaws had snatched him up. One of them had his arms around the merman's tiny waist, and the other supported Jamie's beautiful tail.

The merman was thrashing, flailing, fighting against his captors with all his might, but he was simply out-muscled.

"JAMIE!" Mako croaked.

With the last of his strength, he rolled forward onto his shoulder, his massive weight crushing his attacker into the sand. His airway restored, he gasped in a few deep breaths, and thus rejuvenated, charged toward his imperiled merman friend.

"KO!" Jamie was wailing, reaching for him with his single intact arm as he was carried up the beach, away from his beloved ocean.

"MOTHERFUCKERS!" Ruteledge roared, "PUT HIM DOWN!"

Apparently, the sight of an enraged, eight-foot-tall mountain of a man charging at them was enough to convince the gang rapists to abandon their quarry. They dropped Jamie and bolted. The merman crashed to the sand in a heap.

Mako cared less about pursuing the gang members, and more about making sure his friend was unharmed. He skidded to his knees next to Jamie, and the merman struggled up and reached for him, golden eyes wide and frightened. Ruteledge gathered him up and held him, burying one hand in his hair.

"Ko!" Jamie sobbed against his shoulder.

"Shhh," Mako breathed, caressing the blond head, holding him close, "It's OK, love... it's OK."

He scooped the dazed, trembling creature up in his big arms and got to his feet, Jamie clinging to him. He heard movement behind him, and turned, tensing up. But it was just the other rapists turning tail and bolting away, back toward the path. They'd had enough.

"MOTHERFUCKERS!" Jamie screeched, shaking his fist at their retreating backs.

In spite of everything, Mako burst into laughter, and buried his face in the merman's hair.

* * *

The rest of the day was sent swimming together in the sea, lounging on the warm sand, and teaching Jamie a handful of additional words. By late afternoon, he had mastered 'shell,' 'sand,' 'ocean,' and 'pretty,' to name a few.

Mako kept a sharp eye out for any more unwelcome visitors to the little section of beach, but after that morning's scare, there were no more interruptions. 

As the sun began to sink lower in the sky, Mako and his merman lay on the sand together. The big man rested on one elbow, gazing down at the smaller man, admiring the way the golden light accented his tan skin. 

He reached out and brushed his fingers across Jamie's taut, muscled stomach, trying to sweep away the layer of sand that had dried there.

"Sss sss sssssss!"

"Oh, you like that?" Mako said, grinning.

He stroked his big fingers over Jamie's belly again, and the merman gave the same chuffing, rasping laugh, his tail slapping against the sand.

A ticklish merman.

Mako rolled onto his knees, and with a wicked smile, began scuttling his enormous fingertips all over Jamie's flat, sandy tummy. 

"Ko...!" The merman squeaked, twisting and writhing helplessly under Mako's hands, his pleasured trilling sound intermixed with screeching, raspy laughter. He pushed at Mako's arm with his single hand, to no avail.

Mako explored every inch of the little tanned belly, then moved his hands to Jamie's sides, crawling his fingers lightly over the sensitive skin, feeling the tight muscles flinching and quivering. 

Sss sss sss, KO! Sss sss sss ssssss!"

The big man moved his huge fingers up to scratch at the little blond tufts of hair under Jamie's arms, then lower to flick over his prominent ribs, with the merman screeching and hissing his peculiar laugh at every touch.

When Ruteledge wiggled one big fingertip back and forth across his belly button, the merman arched up off the sand, screeching at a pitch that could probably shatter glass.

Mako knew he was being a bit mean, but the little creature seemed to be enjoying it, if the trilling was anything to go by. 

He looked around and picked up a long piece of seaweed, and trailed it back and forth over the flat, muscled belly, watching the muscles flutter and contract. Then he went back to work on Jamie's belly button, using one end of the strand of seaweed to tease the delicate little hollow.

The merman's trilling increased in pitch and volume, and he writhed on the sand, eyes squeezed shut, tears running down his cheeks.

Tossing the seaweed aside, Mako moved his fingers lower and traced them lightly back and forth over that odd place where Jamie's smooth skin transitioned into glittering scales. It seemed to be more ticklish than any place he'd yet tried, because after a few seconds of screeching, Jamie called up the cuss word he'd learned.

"KO! KO!!! MOTHERFUCKER!"

Ruteledge took it as a safe word of sorts, and finally showed mercy on his ticklish captive. He lay back down on the sand next to the panting creature. The moment he did so, the merman rolled over on top of him and just lay there, gazing down at the big man's face. After a moment, he leaned down and pressed his lips over Mako's.

Mako closed his eyes as those sweet, soft lips captured his own. He reached up and wrapped his big arms around the slim little body, holding Jamie tight to his chest, parting the merman's lips with his tongue, exploring the warm interior of his mouth, carefully avoiding the pointy teeth.

Their embrace was interrupted by a loud splashing sound, and a screeching noise coming from the sea. 

Mako sat up, holding Jamie protectively to him, his eyes scanning for the source of the sound. A few yards offshore, he saw a half-dozen merfolk, all looking inquisitively toward him and Jamie.

"Ko," Jamie's voice said, sadly.

He looked down and found those big, amber eyes gazing tearfully up at him. Jamie looked at him for a long time, and then pointedly toward the sea and his merman kinfolk. 

"You have to go," Mako said quietly. It was more a statement of fact than a question. He knew land was no place for Jamie. It wasn't safe.

Taking a deep breath, he scooped the merman into his arms and got to his feet, walking slowly toward the sea. Jamie snuggled against his chest, the trilling now sounding decidedly mournful. Mako swallowed hard, determined not to shed any tears that would further upset the merman.

As he waded out into waist-deep water, Mako hugged the smaller man tightly to his chest, breathing in his scent, trying to memorize every part of him. Jamie stretched up and kissed him one last time, caressing Mako's face with his single hand, tears streaming from the golden eyes.

"You take care of yourself, now," Ruteledge said softly, "Stay away from those fishing nets."

He lowered Jamie into the water, and with one last tearful look, the merman dove under the surface and swam out to sea to join his family.

Mako stood there in the water for a long time, long after the merman was gone from his sight. Well, he'd spent most of his life alone. And now he was alone again.

* * *

A few days later, Mako sat on the shore, knees drawn up to his chest, folded arms resting there, and just gazed out to sea.

He knew it was impossible for Jamie to stay on land with him. It wasn’t safe, no matter what sort of accommodations or precautions Mako took. And what kind of life would it be for a merman to spend most of his life in a tank or a bathtub, just to be close to him?

Wherever the merman was, Mako hoped he was safe and happy.

A sudden splashing got Mako’s attention, and he lifted his face, and in an instant, was on his feet, charging toward the ocean.

It was easy to recognize the signs of a drowning person, and the figure struggling in the surf was definitely showing the signs. Frantic struggling, thrashing, slapping at the surface, staying under longer each time.

It seemed odd that he wasn’t calling for help. He probably didn’t want to waste his air.

Mako stormed out into the waves, his long stride allowing him to reach the floundering man very quickly. He swam out to the victim, hooked his huge arms around the slim man’s waist and towed him back toward shore.

“Are you all right?” Mako asked, as he neared the beach. 

The drowning victim didn’t reply, just clung to his arm, laying weakly in Mako’s grip.

As his feet touched the bottom, Mako stood and gathered the smaller man up in his arms, and froze.

“JAMIE?”

The little merman’s tail was gone, replaced by legs, but the blond head and freckled face were unmistakable. His toothy smile and sparkling amber eyes were full of joy, and Mako leaned down and kissed him with everything he had.

THE END


End file.
